I’m so excited! It’s time for me to host the famous Carnival of HR for the first time!

It’s also the midpoint of summer here in the US, meaning it’s almost time for the kiddos to head back to school (which according to Staples – and many parents – is the most wonderful time of the year), so I’ve got class schedules and degree programs on my brain as the parent of an incoming freshman at THE Ohio State University. (Go Buckeyes!)

In the spirit of education, I thought I’d whip up a quick online degree program for HR Pros, Recruiting Rockstars and Talent Management Geeks everywhere by organizing the great Carnival of HR submissions I received into an educational opportunity and featuring some great bloggers Teachers just for you!

So grab your assigned seat, take out your pen and paper, bring some chocolate an apple for your Host and check out all of the posts! I’m confident you’ll find some great new blogs and bloggers you’ve not yet discovered and you’ll also be a wiser and more educated professional for having done so.

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Corporate Culture

Leadership Belief and Building ‘People-Centric’ Culture – Professor Tanmay Vora of QAspire Blog.

Class Summary: The Leader’s choice to treat people as “humans” or as “resources” and how that can affect an organization’s culture.

The Perfect Corporate Culture Doesn’t Exist – Professor Jennifer V. Miller from The People Equation.

Class Summary: Explore how even the best of corporate cultures aren’t perfect.

Diversity & Inclusion

Inclusion Measurement – Tracking the Intangible – Professor Erik Samdahl of The Productivity Blog.

Class Summary: Learn some indirect measurements for gauging inclusion success in an organization.

The Act of Including – Professor Joe Gerstandt of Our Time to Act.

Class Summary: The not so fine line between being unintentionally exclusive versus being deliberate, intentional and proactive about being inclusive.

Employee Benefits

Survey Says: Employees Don’t Want Their Benefit Information Tweeted – Professor Lexi Ruben from the Precept Employee Benefits Blog.

Class Summary: To tweet or not to tweet benefits information? That is the question.

Employee Relations

Anniversaries Matter. Jobs Matter More. – Professor Kari Quaas of the Seasonal Human Resources Blog.

Class Summary: Don’t be schmucks.

Rehire Fired Employee? – Professor Susan M. Heathfield from the Human Resources Blog on About.com.

Class Summary: How following the recommended steps for firing an employee might influence that decision.

Why Do Companies Punish Whistleblowers? – Professor Suzanne Lucas from the Personal Success Blog on BNET.

Class Summary: Establishing a process for reporting and investigating problems within your company to keep communication lines open.

Global Human Resources

Future Imperative – Professor The HRD of My Hell is Other People.

Class Summary: Discuss the seismic changes taking place and globalization of work – and whether or not organizations are prepared.

Salary Inflation II – Professor Frank Mulligan of the Talent in China blog.

Class Summary: Explore the effects and consequences that recent increases in wages in China are having on the nation’s & region’s economy.

Upside of a Global Organization – Professor Amy Wilson from the TalentedApps team.

Class Summary: Learn about some of the challenges and tremendous leverage of working in global teams.

HR Technology

Top Three Challenges of Implementing an HR Automation Software – Professor Gireesh Sharma of the Grasp e-Marketing blog.

Class Summary: Review the top 3 challenges during the software implementation cycle based upon Gireesh’s experience.

Leadership

Make Sure You “Hug” Your Top Performers During Times of Change – Professor Dan McCarthy from Great Leadership.

Class Summary: The importance of not taking top performers for granted and making sure they know they’re valued.

Responsibility and Leadership – Professor Wally Bock of Three Star Leadership Blog.

Class Summary: When Dwight Eisenhower gave the order to launch the D-Day invastion, he faced the real possibility that things could go wrong. But he was willing to take the responsibility.

Stop Trying to Make Others Happy – Professor Mary Jo Asmus of Aspire Collaborative Services.

Class Summary: Personalizing rewards and recognition to motivate employees.

Legal & Compliance

Dear Evil Skippy: The FMLA Expands Family Trees – Professor Jim of Evil Skippy at Work.

Class Summary: FMLA definitions, communication and navigation. (Note: This required class is sure to be a riot. Good times.)

What You Need to Know About Floating Holidays – Professor Kim Urban of Kim’s HR Potpourri blog.

Class Summary: The intricacies of handling Floating Holidays in the state of California.

Organizational Psychology

Trains and Perception – Professor Steve Boese of Steve’s HR Technology blog.

Class Summary: What we call programs and activities in our organizations can influence the perception of their importance as well as the approach and enthusiasm of the people involved.

$5000 or a Stranger’s Happiness? – Professor Drew Tarvin of Humor That Works.

Class Summary: Learn how surrounding yourself with happy (or unhappy) people impacts you.

Performance Management

Performance Management is a TOOL and not a CHORE – Professor Cathy Missildine-Martin of Profitability Through Human Capital blog.

Class Summary: Decide whether Performance Appraisals should be 1 question, 3 questions or 435…

Recruiting

In Defense of Recruiters – Professor Bill Boorman of Norton Folgate: The Recruiting Unblog.

Class Summary: 5 ways to fix the process and build better relationships between Recruiters and HR departments.

The Need for Speed – Professor Mervyn Dinnen of T Recs.

Class Summary: Debate whether finding the “best” candidate for clients is hindered by expectations of speedy submissions.

Social Media for HR/Recruiting

Developing a Social Recruiting Strategy: From Bigot to Believer – Professor R.J. Morris substitute teaching for yours truly right here on the Unbridled Talent blog (good stuff in case you missed it).

Class Summary: Case study of one man and one company’s approach to developing a social recruiting strategy.

How to Get Started in Social Media with Mike Vandervort – led by Professor Ben Eubanks of UpStartHR.

Class Summary: Learn how HR practitioner Mike Vandervort is using social media to create a competitive advantage for his employer.

We’re Social Media Hippies Who Live in Mamby-Pamby Land. I can dig that. – Professor Kevin W. Grossman of HR Marketer Blog.

Class Summary: Explore the risks and the values of using social media in the workplace – while saying cool words like Mamby-Pamby.

Talent Management

If Lebron Went Corporate: A Cautionary Tale – Professor Aaron Ziff from the Respectful Workplace Blog. Class Summary: Talent management lessons from the real-world case study featuring basketball hero or zero (you decide) Lebron James.

Talent Management Best Practices for a Post-Recession World – Professor Lois Melbourne of Aquire.

Class Summary: Talent strategies to keep your top talent as the economy improves and employees have more choices.

There Is No “I” in “Team”. But There Is a “Me”. – Professor Benjamin McCall of ReThink HR.

Class Summary: Talent Management and succession planning lessons from the world of sports.

Tour de France’s Lessons for Human Resources and Management – Professor Michael D. Haberman from HR Observations.

Class Summary: Review some lessons from the Tour de France related to talent, teams and planning that are important for businesses today.

Talent Selection

How to Hire People Who Understand the Values of Your Organization – Professor Amit Bhagria of Young HR Manager.

Class Summary: Review a case study and examples of how to shift the focus of your interview process to asking questions that reveal a candidate’s self beliefs and value system.

Low Performers Are Laid Off First – Professor Chris Young of the Maximize Possibility Blog.

Class Summary: The importance of pre-employment assessment validity.

Winning the War on Talent – Professor Mark Stelzner of Inflexion Advisors.

Class Summary: Review a case study that could change sourcing, screening and assessment processes to ensure hiring candidates that match an organization’s culture.

Workforce Development/Career Management

Making Employees Career Competent – Professor Lance Haun of Rehaul.com.

Class Summary: HR’s role in helping today’s workforce develop new skills to improve employability.

New Generation – Professor Laura Schroeder of Working Girl blog.

Class Summary: Debate whether the new generation is owed an express ticket to executive management because they’re willing to work hard and have black belts in social media – or not.

Extra Credit/Self-Study

Ten Minutes with Vinnie Mirchandani – Industry Expert – brought to you by The Devon Group.

Class Summary: Hear from the author of the book “The New Polymath: Profiles in Compound-Technology Innovations”.

Top Summer Reading for Business Leaders – compiled by Professor Trish McFarlane, the HR Ringleader.

Class Summary: What thought leaders in HR, recruiting and academia are reading this summer.

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Whew! Well there you have it folks. A crash course in all things HR, Recruiting and Talent Management.

If you read all of the posts and passed the exams, give yourself a pat on the back. You just graduated from the Carnival of HR Online Degree Program! Now be sure to leave a comment on this post so I’ll know how many seats we’ll need at the graduation party…

Thanks to all who submitted great posts for the Carnival of HR! Next up, the August 4th Carnival will be hosted by Drew Tarvin at Humor That Works. Be sure to check it out!